June 15, 2012 - American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman released the following statement today following EPA’s release of its proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM).

"We are disappointed that the courts and EPA are rushing — yet again — to issue important air regulatory standards ahead of the schedule EPA outlined in May. There is significant uncertainty in the science used to develop the revised PM NAAQS standards, and we think EPA erred by not including the current standards as a formal alternative for comment. We plan to provide comments opposing EPA’s finding that the existing standard is inadequate.

"This is but the latest example in a recurring theme of unnecessary court intervention with regard to EPA rulemaking. The cumulative burden of air regulatory limits mounts with each new proposal, and a recent presidential Executive Order requires agencies to take this into account. Unfortunately, when courts get involved in the process, it is difficult for the agency to consider all of the available data and complexities of the science."

The American Forest & Paper Association (www.afandpa.org) is the national trade association of the forest products industry, representing pulp, paper, packaging and wood products manufacturers, and forest landowners.

The forest products industry accounts for approximately 5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP. Industry companies produce about $190 billion in products annually and employ nearly 900,000 men and women, exceeding employment levels in the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 47 states.